Letter: Help available to test drinking water

The recent heavy rains and disastrous flooding on Kalifornsky Beach Road should raise the concern of everyone with private drinking water. Unlike public water sources, there are no laws that help ensure the water you and your family are drinking is safe from pollutants. Private well owners are encouraged to test their water for fecal bacteria once a year, and certainly after flooding events. High water levels can lead to surface water and septic infiltration into your well, contaminating your drinking water with harmful fecal bacteria (or fecal coliforms). In addition provided on the Borough’s flood information website (http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/emergency-mgmt/flood), you can find information from the Environmental Protection Agency on disinfecting wells after flood events (http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/well/whatdo.cfm).

Started in 2008, Cook Inletkeeper’s Safe Drinking Water program provides families with information and assistance to help you understand the whys and hows of drinking water testing. We can also help interpret water test results and point you in the direction of resources to ensure your water is safe for everyone in your home. You can find more information on our website, www.inletkeeper.org/clean-water/safe-drinking-water.

We wish everyone on Kalifornsky Beach Road the best in recovering from the terrible floods, and we encourage everyone to take a pro-active approach when it comes to their private drinking water.